Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 227 (Patreon)

Chapter 227: The Meeting

Luo had been training with Biscuit for nearly a year, and Buhara had been following Dafei for over a year. Both of them, in terms of Nen abilities and physical strength, had greatly improved during this year.

After completing the training regimen designed for him by Dafei, Buhara eagerly made a call to Luo to confirm the time and place to meet up.

In the deep, old forests in the southern part of the Yorbian Continent, Buhara sat in front of a campfire, happily ending the call, surrounded by a large pile of animal bones.

The world of hunters has many cutting-edge technologies, like mobile phones with precise GPS functions and built-in translation software for over two hundred languages. However, what makes these phones truly practical is their unrestricted calling range.

They can be used anywhere in the world, with no outdoor calling restrictions, making them highly valued by hunters for their practicality, and both Buhara and Luo owned such phones without too many fancy features.

"Before you leave, let me give you one piece of advice," Dafei, stirring the campfire with a stick, his eyelids drooping slightly as the firelight illuminated his calm, rugged face.

Buhara looked at Dafei, silently waiting for what was next.

Dafei looked up at Buhara, who had grown significantly heavier than him, and said in a deep voice, "Don't think about eating all the time!"

Upon hearing Dafei's advice, Buhara showed a troubled expression.

Over the year, his height had exceeded two meters, and he was getting noticeably bulkier, almost resembling a human tank.

Seeing Buhara's troubled look, Dafei shook his head in silence.

It was frustrating; no matter how much they increased the training intensity, Buhara just kept getting fatter. If it weren't for his increasing strength, Dafei would have liked to spend more time correcting this.

By the later stages, Buhara had developed his own Nen, and Dafei had completely compromised on controlling his food intake, which led to Buhara gaining so much weight over the year.

At the Hunters Association headquarters, in the conference room.

The current nine members of the Zodiacs took their seats, with three vacancies still open for successors. The meeting that was about to begin was to evaluate the qualifications of the tenth successor.

Geru, whom Luo had met in the Talmah Mountains, sat on the third seat to the right. The seat at the head of the table was empty; it belonged to Chairman Netero.

"Geru, I heard you resolved the 'Zombie Grass' issue a few days ago. That's no small feat," said a man sitting across from Geru, heavily muscled and large-bodied.

Ginta, the Sheep of the Zodiacs and a poacher hunter, had strong abilities. His lips were thick, his mouth large, and he sported a beard around his lips. He wore a bandana resembling the American flag on his forehead and a vest, revealing a chest and arms covered in thick body hair.

"It was alright," Geru responded, arms crossed, her reaction cool.

She had spent some time researching after leaving with the Misfortune Toad that day. Although she didn't agree with Luo's reckless fabrications, for some reason, she had tried the antidote Luo mentioned, and it had actually worked.

In the end, she didn't want to claim it as an achievement and had given up on the Misfortune Toad and the Happiness Mushroom, focusing instead on another difficult problem.

Recently, she had resolved the "Zombie Grass" issue, indirectly proving her abilities to the current members of the Zodiacs.

"Not bad at all, that was a tough problem to solve," said a woman sitting diagonally across, her head adorned with white feathers and resting her chin on her hand.

Cluck, the Rooster of the Zodiacs, held multiple professions including botanist, musician, and dancer, but her main job was as a plant hunter. She was dressed provocatively and had a proud personality.

Her praise showed the difficulty of the "Zombie Grass" issue.

Geru nodded at her and said, "Indeed, it wasn't easy."

"When is the chairman coming?" At that moment, Ginta changed the subject, looking towards the tightly closed conference room door.

"One minute left," said a man dressed in black and white.

Mizaistom, the Ox of the Zodiacs and a crime hunter, wore a black and white cow horn hat and gold earrings, with black paint over one eye socket, dressed in a cow-patterned outfit.

The other six current members were also quietly seated, awaiting Chairman Netero's arrival.

There was one minute left before the meeting was to start, but Chairman Netero and the member about to succeed him had not yet arrived.

Time passed, and now

 only thirty seconds remained…

The members watched the tightly closed conference room door, some already guessing how late the chairman would be today.

Bang!

Suddenly, the door opened, and in came Bean, a short man.

"Where is the chairman?" Upon seeing Bean, Botobai, the Dragon of the Zodiacs and one of the few three-star hunters, whose reputation and strength were closest to Chairman Netero, asked in a deep voice.

Bean, wiping his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief, struggled to say, "I can't contact the chairman; he might be… about an hour late?"

He spoke the latter half uncertainly, considering it a conservative estimate.

Upon hearing Bean's words, except for someone, the other current members of the Zodiacs all had a frustrated look. Normally, less important matters were usually left to them to decide, but reviewing a new successor was no small matter.

Bean, under the intense scrutiny of everyone, felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Is an hour enough?" someone asked.

The others didn't speak, but in their hearts, they all had the same answer: definitely not enough!

"Speaking of which, the person being reviewed today hasn't arrived yet," Ginta mentioned.

Upon hearing Ginta's words, the other members, who had been focused on Chairman Netero, suddenly realized this.

Botobai scoffed coldly at that moment.

Crime hunter Mizaistom clasped his hands under his chin, quietly staring at the closed door, and calmly said, "Five seconds left."

Near the seat below Chairman Netero's, a blonde, handsome man in a dark suit sat with a smiling demeanor, appearing uninvolved.

"Time's up," Mizaistom glanced at the clock on the wall of the conference room—it was exactly ten o'clock, and the second hand moved forward five seconds. Then, the door of the conference room opened.

A young man with his hands in his pockets walked in.

He wore a loose cape, his forehead wrapped in white cloth strips, making his black hair stand on end, his face clean and his eyes bright.

Upon his arrival, everyone turned their attention to him, a presence of a Nen user emerging naturally, as it surged towards the young man.

"Yo!"

Facing the overwhelming aura thrown at him by the others, the young man calmly raised his hand, greeting the current members of the Zodiacs.

"You're five seconds late!" Mizaistom said to the young man, his voice stern.

"Am I?" the young man wondered.

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